Alright, just to clarify a few things.

The Mentalist is a series that can be pictured as a cat and mouse scenario. The cat will constantly try to search for the mouse, when it can, but the mouse will always try to sneak away and in almost every case do so.

After watching the newest episode of The Mentalist I became very confused. Kirkland obviously has some deal with this man that was shot by Lorelei Martins (who I absolutely adored as a character and I shed a dear at her death).

There is more of The Mentalist to come and the game is pretty much just about Janes search for his familys killer. When he finds his murderer he will most likely end up in prison (when murdering him) or he will leave the unit, this I do believe he has said previously. Also, Bertrum has been clear on if Jane does something this drastic again, he will show no mercy.

On another note, what I did not understand is why the producer showed the scene where Kirkland injects some poison into the hospitalised man. Clearly Kirkland had some business with the man. Whether or not Kirkland is RJ, I hardly doubt. Killing him a minute (litteraly) before Jane arriving, knowing Jane would follow him, seems like a drastic measure. Again, what I do not understand is why he asked if he knew him, he said no, why would he then kill him? Did he want him to recognize him? If so, why did he have to be murdered.

In all fairness we can assume that Kirkland murdering this man was an action caused by one or two reasons. Either they have history that goes way back or he is an accomplice of RJ. We know that RJ have accomplices high in the system, CBI, FBI etc. so it makes sence he has someone in Homeland Security aswell. The look that Jane gives Kirkland after Kirkland told him what had happened, means he is onto him. He most likely knows he had something to do with his death and will further investigate this.

I also found one thing quite interesting. Kirkland showed psycopathic features when injecting the poison. It looked like he showed no remorse, no fear and no regret. When talking to Jane, he was fully relaxed. It wouldn't, because of this, surprise me if Kirkland has previously murdered someone other than work, as a killer/serial-killer.

But I do not think Bruno Heller would show RJ this obviously to the viewers. It would be honestly the most dissapointing series ending I've ever seen.

My prediction is that Kirkland has some connection to RJ. Jane will eventually tell Lisbon and the team will figure it out. When they do Kirkland will die, if Jane kills him, I doubt. It would be a bad repeat of the previous season ending where he killed someone he thought was RJ.

The season ending will have a strong connection to RJ, most likely with Kirkland as well, but again, Kirkland is not RJ!

Unless the producer is using a horrible reversed-psycology mentality, meaning that the most obvious character is the murderer he is not RJ. Of course, why would the producer work so hard to hide RJ and then suddenly reveal him when there is multiple episodes and even seasons to come? No Kirkland is not RJ.

Hope this clears up a little. Whoever you think is RJ, the chances he is RJ is so slim you wouldn't imagine. This is what I love about the show. You think you know something, but you don't. It is like Jane said to Bosco about RJ; "RJ doesn't make mistakes, if he leaves a clue he wants you to have it". If you have a clue, you're supposed to have it and it surely doesn't mean that you're closer to RJ.

Cheers :)

I've seen every single episode of the mentalist, and I remember reading somewhere that that Bruno Heller said that Red John would almost be a dissapointment, because it's not someone super secret; this is why i think Red John is Rob Kirkland, and for a number of reasons. 

First of all, we know RJ pretty much has the skillset of Jane, in terms of both hypnosis and intelligence; just used for a much different cause. 
Furthermore, a couple episodes back when Lisbon asks him(Rob) if he was on that visualize farm where RJ was known to have been years ago, he doesn't answer. 
At the end of Series 3, The guy who Jane killed, believing it was RJ, said he was going to move on and create a new identity, or something of the sort. 
Now, from last nights episode, the conversation is pretty much self explanatory, however what i find interesting is when he taps Jane on the arm walking away, and Jane's face looks almost as if he's remembered something. How many times have we seen Jane tap someone in a certain place for a trigger to come out of hypnosis. 
My theory is this - Rob knew jane on the Carnival years ago, and something went on between them; at some point in the future, he hypnotised Jane to forget his identity. He did the same to Jason, and that's why he wanted to know if he remembered him, to see if Jane could suspect him and could have broken this hypnosis.
That Lorelei was found in a clown/carnival environment is also significant.



Hey, i'm sure after the next episode all these theories will look crazy, but that's just my absurd theory right now. Likelihood is that the clues have been hidden throughout all 5 series' rather than the big sudden reveal. 

Why does Kirkland wait for Jason Lennon to wake up? Why not slip in while he is in a comma and kill him? If he is going to kill him anyways, why is it important for Kirkland to know if Jason recognizes him? If Jason knows Red John (and assuming Kirkland/Red John did not get some crazy face altering surgery), wouldn't Jason have recognized Kirkland if he was RJ?

I think Kirkland works for Red John. Plus, I thought RJ's thing was to cut people up and draw bloody smiley faces. Quietly injecting someone doesn't seem like RJ's style. 

How is Jane not suspicious of Kirkland!?! Seriously, come on. 

I think RJ is Kirkland, but Jane has been thrown off the scent because he doesn't appear to have shaken hands with Kirkland.

However, when they shook hands in the past, RJ literally had a different face and did not look like who we now know as Kirkland.

Clues:

1) Do you recognize me? (as Kirland carefully shows his face to the guy he kills in the hospital bed) No? Good. (then calmly injects the needle into the IV).  His voice almost sounded like Christopher Walken, so maybe Christopher Walken is RJ :-)  j/k

2) The woman in the hospital remarks how the guys from Homeland Security are creepy, not who they appear to be, like aliens under the skin.

3) The fake RJ that Jane killed at the end of Season 3 told Jane that he was going to stop killing, get a new face, new identity and move on.

I have watched this show from the beginning and people come up with the most ridiculous ideas. Seriously do you really think that Red John was some disfigured person who killed Robert Kirkland, got radical facial reconstruction and took his identity. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Why?? For what purpose. Red John is smart and savvy enough to brainwash someone, get people to KILL PEOPLE and KIDNAP PEOPLE FOR HIM and his is SERIAL KILLER but then says thats not enough I need to take over someones identy and he gets RADICAL FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION. PLEASE. People try to mold certain things to wrap around their theories. What is more possible that Kirkland knows Red John (we all know that RJ has someone high up in government who could be Kirland and Kirkland is the same guy in the limo asking for updates on the RJ case from Minelli) and could have been in a picture or something where Lennon would be able to identify him or Kirkland is RJ and went through radical facial reconstrution. I am sorry I just dont it for a second.

Also think about it for a second instead of trying to parse words on what you MAY think each word means. If you think someone may or may not have seen you a few years ago in a picture or in a previous meeting and could give you up wouldnt you ask them if they recognize you to see if they had said anything. That makes senses. What doesnt make sense is  RJ got radical facial reconstruction JUST to be involved in a case so he could ask the guy if he recognized him. Why would Lennon recognize him if he got facial reconstruction and was using a different voice which I find extremely hard to believe? It makes no sense. I was just waiting for someone to say something something radical. Like I said I go back to what the creator and producers say about RJ instead of trying to invent theories. I still am sold that on the season finale we will find VERY SPECIFIC THING that will COMPLETELY CHANGE the way we search for RJ. Remember PJ has a very unique skill set to be able to search for RJ. What SPECIFIC skill set is that? He is a Mentalist/CON MAN and worked at a carnival. The last episode is at a carnival and introduces two new characters. I think we can all sit here and come up with wild theories but considering how big of a reveal this is and how the creators and producers have consistently thrown us off I just dont buy into Robert Kirkland being  RJ. Now I certainly think he is involved but not RJ and certainly did not get some radical facial procedure. So ridiculous.